Wire strand machine



WIRE STRAND MACHINE Filed April 26, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 1' March 22,14%. R. D. GREEN WIRE STRAND MACHINE Filed April 26, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet2 Patented Mar. 1949 2,464,860 WIRE STRAND MACHINE Richard Duane Green,Trenton, N. J., asslgnor to John A. Roeblings Sons Company, Trenton, N.J., a corporation of New Jersey Application April 26, 1946, Serial No.665,269

3 Claims.

This invention relates to a wire strand machine of the type in which anumber of wires or strands are twisted together, the object of theinvention being to provide a simple, efficient and durable machine whichshall be capable of operating at very high speed.

A further object is to provide such a strand machine in which a largernumber of twists may be made than in previous machines of this type.

A machine embodying all the features of the invention in a preferredform will now be described in connection with the accompanying drawingsforming a part of this specification and the features forming theinvention then specifically pointed out in the claims.

in the drawings:

Figure l is a vertical diagrammatic view in section of the upper part ofthe machine in which the first twists are made;

Figure 1A is a similar view of the lower part of the machine foradditional twists and spooling oi the strand.

Referring to the drawings, and now more especially to Figure 1, A is apart of the stationary frame which carries the operating mechanism, Bthe driving shaft mounted in the frame, C a rotating spool carrier inwhich are mounted the spools D supplying the wire for the strand, and Eis a twisting fiyer to which the wires pass from the spool carrier C.-

The spool carrier C consists of upper and lower heads l0, H, connectedby tie bars 12 and carries in its upper head it the twisting head l3running in bearing I in head l8 and provided with separate passages forthe wires 2 to be twisted, preferably, as shown, a central wire andseveral wires twisted about this central wire to form a strand. It willbe understood that any desired number of tie bars it may be used toconnect the heads Ill, ii.

The spool carrier and fiyer are broken so as to shorten the view of themachine and only four spools D are shown, but it will be understood thatany number of wires and spools desired may be I used, a commonarrangement being seven wires with six wires twisted about the seventhwire. The spools D are arranged in line to rotate on and concentricallywith the carrier and the wires 2 are led from the spools outward andthen upward over the guide rolls 3, shown as mounted on the tie bars I2. The spool carrier E is mounted .on the bottom head of the fiyer E bybearing la and rotates on a central stud l4 carried by the Aver E andextending through a considerable portion or the central sleeve I5 of thecarrier, so

as to form a firm support for high speed operation and the spool carriercarries at its lower end gear l6 through which it is rotated by thefiyer by gearing described hereafter.

The'fiyer E consists of the upper and lower heads ll, it connected byties l9 shown as tubes through one of which the strand in. is led, theupper head ll carrying stud 20 mounted to rotate in bearing 28 carriedby the frame A. The fiyer E carries, also, a cross plate or bar 22mounted on the ties iii and on this plate or bar 22 is mounted a strandclosing die 23 for the wires passing from the twisting head it, this die23 being made adjustable on bolts d by which it is mounted. in bar 22,so that the die 23 may be adjusted as desired relatively to the twistinghead i 3 suit the lay of the wires. The twisting The strand is guid tralsheave 2d and cute. etc on; .iG tubes i9, downward through the tube overguide sheaves and then inward at the lower end the fiyer to a centralsheave 25 from which the strand passes downward and ,over a sheave 26 tothe part of the machine shown in Figure 1A or to any common or suitablewindup mechanism if additional twists are not desired.

The fiyer is driven from gear 21 on shaft B through pinion 28 and gear29 on the lower end of hollow stud 30 projecting downward from a frame3! carried by the fiyer and through which hollow stud 3B the strandpasses as above described. The spool carrier 0 is rotated from the fiyerthrough stationary sun gear 32 carried by stud 30 and engaging planetgears 33 on shafts 34 mounted in the lower head of fiyer E and frame 3!,the upper ends of these shafts 34 carrying gears 35 engaging gear E6 onthe lower end of the spool carrier C.

It will be seen that through this driving gearing the spool carrier Cand fiyer E are rotated in opposite directions and the gearing is shownas driving the spool carrier at the same speed as the fiyer. It will beunderstood, however, that the gearing may be varied when desired so asto drive the spool carrier at any speed desired relatively to the fiyerand that the production speed of the machine may be increased byincreasing the speed of one relatively to the other.

With the machine shown in Figure 1, it will be seen that three twistsare made per revolution of the flyer E if the wire is delivered fromsheave 26 directly to a stationary wind-up roll, two twists being madebetween the spool carrier and the flyer by the rotation of the spoolcarrier with twisting head it and the upper sheave 24 in oppositedirections and the third twist between the sheave 28 revolving with thefiyer and the wind-up roll. If no more than three twists are to be givenin making the strand, such machine shown in Figure 1 is complete withnon flyer means for receiving the strand.

It is preferable in many cases, however, and one of the specific objectsof the invention is, to provide for a larger number of twists and I haveshown in Figure 1A an addition to the above machine, which provides forsecuring a total of six twists. In this construction A-l are stationaryframe parts and B-l the driving shaft by which the mechanism is driven,which shaft may be an independent shaft, as shown, or a continuation ofshaft B of Figure 1.

In this construction, an outer fiyer G, to which the strand passes fromsheave 28 to Figure 1, encloses and drives a fiyer H, which carries awindup spool I on which the completed strand is wound, preferably with ausual traverse K. The outer and inner fiyers G and H are driven inopposite directions and the outer flyer in the op posite direction tothe flyer E of Figure 1..

The fiyer G consists of upper and lower heads 81, 88 connected by ties99 shown as tubes, through one of which the strand runs. and has securedon the ties 89 cross plates or bars '49, 4|,- providing mounting for theflyer H. The upper head 81 carries hollow stud 42 through which thestrand enters and which runs in a bearing in frame A-l. The flyer G alsocarries central guide sheave 48, and sheaves over which the strandpasses outward to the tube tie and over guide sheaves through the tubeand inward to central sheave 43a, all arranged as the strand guidesheaves of Figure 1, except that the strand passes upward from sheave43a.

The inner fiyer H consists of the upper and lower heads 44, 45,connected by frame bars 48 and is mounted for rotation in cross bar49"01 flyer G by stud 41 and by its lower head 45 running on cross bar4| of fiyer C and hollow stud 48 extending upward from the cross bar.

sheave 28 of Figure 1 to sheave of Figure 1A, the strand will be givensix twists per revolution, the third and fourth twists being between thesleaves 24, 48, as flyer G rotates in the opposite direction of fiyer E,and the fifth and sixth twists between the sheave 48a at the lower endof fiyer G and sheave or capstan 8|, as fiyers G and H rotate inopposite directions.

It will be understood that if only four twists are desired, this mayreadily be arranged by mounting the wind-up drum on the flyer G and Iomitting the flyer H, so that no twist is given the a strand after thethird and fourth twists given twisting head on the carrier carrying aplurality of spool wires and arranged to twist the plurality of wiresinto a twisted strand, 8, fiyer receiving the twisted strand andcarrying it around the a spool carrier, and driving means for securingthe rotation of the spool carrier from the flyer and in relativelyopposite direction.

2. In a strand twisting machine, the combination of a spool carrier, aplurality of wire spools rotating on and concentrically with thecarrier, a twisting head on the carrier carrying a plurality of spoolwires and arranged to twist the plurality of spool wires into a twistedstrand, a die receiving the twisted wires from the spools and adjustabletoward and from the twisting head, a fiyer for receiving the twistedstrand from the die and carrying the strand around the spool carrier,and driving means for securing the rotation of the spool carrier fromthe fiyer and in The driving mechanism for the fiyers and the partscarried by the inner fiyer H are as follows: The-gear 49 on shaft B-ldrives the outer flyer G through gear 59 on stud 5| projecting downwardfrom head 38 and the inner flyer H is driven by stationary or sun gear52engaging gears 58 on shafts 54 carried by the flyer G, the shaftsattheir upper ends carrying gears 55 engaging gear 85 carried by lowerhead of inner flyer H. The gearing is shown as driving flyers G and H inopposite directions at the same speed, but it is understood that thisgearing may be changed for. different relative speeds of the two flyers,as in the case of the gearing in Figure 1.

Flyer H carries a shaft 51 rotatedby a gear 58 engaging pinion 5 formedon the upper end of stud 48, and shaft 51 through bevel gears 59 drivesshaft 68 carrying sheave or capstan 8i wind-up roll I. Shaft 60 ismounted in the side frames 46 of fiyer H and through pulleys 6 andbelt 1drives a stub-shaft carrying gear 62 driving the traverse K through gear63 and the wind-up spool I through gear 64.

It will be seen that with the construction shown inFlgures 1 and 1A, andthe strand lead from relatively opposite directions.

3. In a strand twisting machine, the combination of a spool carrier, aplurality of wire spools rotating on and concentrically with thecarrier, a twisting head on the carrier removably mounted for change ofheads and carrying a plurality of spool wires and arranged to twist theplurality of wires into a twisted strand, a die on the carrier receivingthe twisted wires from the spools and from which the strand passes totraverse K and adjustable toward and from the twisting head, a flyerreceiving the strand from the die and carrying the strand around thespool carrier, and driving means for rotating the spool carrier from theflyer and in relatively opposite directions.

RICHARD DUANE GREEN.

REFERENCES CITED Thefollowing references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS

